Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, Detroit, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History in Detroit is one of the largest museums in the world devoted to African American history and culture. It stands in the Cultural Center area of Midtown and grew out of a collection started in 1965 by a Detroit physician, Dr. Charles H. Wright. Its core exhibition, And Still We Rise, follows the story from African origins through slavery and the long struggle for freedom to the present day.

The story behind it

Dr. Charles H. Wright, a Detroit doctor, founded the museum in 1965 as the International Afro-American Museum. He wanted a place where the achievements and the hardships of Black Americans would be recorded and told in full. What began as a modest community project grew steadily, and in 1997 the museum opened a much larger purpose-built home in the Cultural Center. It now carries its founder's name.

Detroit is a fitting setting. The city was a destination for the Great Migration, when many Black families moved north for work and a fresh start, and it has been central to American labor, music and civil rights history. The museum places those local stories within the wider national picture.

What to look for

• The domed rotunda at the heart of the building is the architectural centrepiece, and it is worth pausing there to look up before you head into the galleries.
• The early sections of And Still We Rise deal with Africa and the Middle Passage, and they set the tone for the rest of the exhibition.
• Look for the displays that tie national events to Detroit, such as migration, work and community life in the city.
• Step outside and notice how the museum sits among its neighbours in the Cultural Center, a cluster of major museums and libraries within a short walk of each other.

Tips for your visit

• Allow at least two hours inside if you want to see the core exhibition properly, and more if you like to read every panel.
• You can go inside, but admission is required, so check current opening hours and ticket information before you go.
• The Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum and the main Detroit Public Library are all close by, so the museum fits easily into a day around the Cultural Center.
• Visit earlier in the day if you prefer a quieter pace, and keep some time and energy for the streets outside.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Cultural Center, Detroit is a mystery-themed route through this part of the city. You reach the museum on foot as one stop on a longer walk, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle in front of what you are looking at. One ticket covers the whole group.

Detroit Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. suits you if you like a detective story with your sightseeing. You walk between stops in the area at your own pace, hear about each place as you get there and work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in Detroit is a good choice for families, since children get a job to do while you explore. You walk from place to place, the app explains each stop and there is a puzzle to solve along the way. One ticket covers the whole group.